Hat-size-reducing device.



H. D. CURTIS.

HAT SIZE REDUCING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED Nov. I. 191s.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

AQ 3 nue/Wto@ l at ms HENRY D. CURTIS, 0F RED BANI-K, NEWVJ'ERSEY.

HAT-SIZE-REDUCING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

f Application led Novemherl, 1916. Serial No. 128,838.

To all whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY D. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Red Bank, county of Monmouth, and State of .New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Size- Reducing Devices, of which the following is,

'a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hat-size-reducing devices, and more'pa'rticularly'to that type of devices for reducing the size of hats disclosed in Letters Patent No. 949,264, granted February 15, 1910, to Robert H. Curtis and Henry D. Curtis.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of a device of the character set forth which may be easily and in- Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the device ready for application to a hat;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing the construction and manner of applying the yielding covering to the resilient metal core; and

Fig. 4' is .a vertical sectional view taken through the size-reducing device.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates the crown o f a hat, 2, the brim, and 3 the sweat band thereof. The sizereducingldevice 4 is inserted and held within the hat between the crown 1 and the sweat band 3, so that the device is entirely concealed from view by the sweat band, as shown in Fig. 1. l

The reducing device 4 comprises a core or body portion 5 formedof a strip of thin ieXible metal, or other flexible material.

' The core 5 is provided with a plurality of prongs or spurs 6 at suitable intervals on one side thereof. The core is preferably formed of a strip of thin spring steel having the spurs 6 struck up therefrom.

The core 5 is entirely inclosed within a. soft, yielding covering 7 of loosely woven or knitted textile fabric, or open mesh fabric such as gauze, cheese cloth, mosquito netting or the like. This yielding covering is applied to the core by winding one or more narrow strips 8 of the fabric spirally around the core, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The ends of the spirally wound covering 7 are twisted and cemented as shown at 9 in Fig. 1. The twisting and cementing of the ends of the covering prevents unwinding of the spirally wound strips 8 and also serves to prevent the protrusion of the ends of the core from the covering.

The prongs 6 readily pass through the loosely woven or knitted strips of Afabric 8 as the strips are wound upon the core. The

spurs or prongs are made suciently long to project slightly beyond the outer surface of the completed covering so as to adapt them to penetrate the crown of the hat when the device is placed in position for use and thus hold the device in proper position.

The spurs or prongs also serve to prevent longitudinal displacement of the several wraps or spirals of the covering along the core in handling the device.

An important feature of the invention consists in forming the covering by winding narrow strips of open-mesh fabric, or knitted or loosely woven goods, spirally around the core. By this arrangement a highly yieldable covering of any desired thickness may be readily applied to the core.

It will be observed that the core is entirely inclosed within the covering and that the spirally wound covering is securely held on the core, the twisted and cemented ends of the covering and the spurs cooperating to hold the covering in place.

What I claim is: y

1. A size-reducing device for hats comprising a flexible metal core having spurs projecting from one side thereof, and a covering of pliable material surrounding said core, said covering being formed of a plurality of strips of material wound around saidcore and having the ends of the strips at each end of the core twisted and cemented together.

2. A size reducing device for hats comprsing a. flexible core having spurs and a covering of open-mesh fabric completely inclosing the core, said covering consisting of a 'plurality of strips of fabric wound one 5 upon the other spirally around the core, the margins of the adjacent coils overlapping each other, the ends of the strips extending beyond the ends of the core being twisted and cemented together to prevent unwinding of the strips. I10

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

HENRY D. CURTIS. 

